The Princess' Blade
by Plasma Knight
Summary: When the King of the Aliech Kingdom died, his daughter, Eirawen, soon lost everything and everyone, save for one person. Her lone blade. Light romantic fic, OC/Eirawen.


This short story was originally written for a friend of mine on Mabinogi :D

I hope you enjoy!

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When Nielis first met Princess Eirawen, she never imagined she would come to like the haughty girl. She had just finished helping Admiral Owen with a personal task (truth to be told, she had a debt to square with the Admiral, who let her off off the hook for attacking his men and freeing a convicted man from prison) when she received an Owl from Lezarro.

The grieving minister managed to blurt out that the King had been assassinated while Nielis was busy on Belvast island. Nielis dipped her head to Lezarro, understanding how great a loss it must have been for those who knew the King, even if she herself felt nothing personally over the King's death. She grimaced just slightly when Lezarro mentioned that a Milletian was suspected of killing the King, however. Milletians weren't widely trusted in Erinn to begin with; being able to change their appearance on a whim, and it wouldn't be long before rumors of Milletian Kingslayers began to spread.

At one point in his griefstricken rant, Lezarro managed to blurt out that the Princess was looking for a Milletian. Nielis was going to ignore the request, but she needed something to take her mind off Kiret; his bouts of jealousy, mistrust and childishness had finally pushed Nielis to her breaking point, thus ending their relationship. Thus it was that she found herself in the palace sky gardens, where the young princess was in the middle of verbally abusing her maid.

Nielis' first impression of Eirawen was that the she was a cute little girl, with her deep purple eyes and silver hair, Eirawen lost no time in making a bad first impression.

Eirawen glanced at Nielis, and turned to face her. "You, are you a Milletian?" The princess angrily demanded. "I left clear orders that I wasn't going to be meeting anyone today unless they were a Milletian!"

Nielis was taken aback at the sudden outburst, but impressed by the Princess' spirit. The girl definitely had the bearings of someone who would be burdened with rulership over a nation; she was barely Nielis' size, but she planted her hands on her hips and glared up at her guest as if it was she who was towering over Nielis.

"My name is Nielis," Nielis replied, dipping her head to the princess.

Eirawen let out a sigh and rolled her eyes. "It is a pleasure to meet you," she said aloofly, "but I didn't ask for your name, I asked if you were a Milletian!"

"Yes I am," Nielis replied, herself starting to glare down at the princess. Although she respected the Princess' will, Eirawen's acerbic personality quickly got to her. What followed was a partnership of convenience; Nielis was to help Eirawen prove her suspicions, that Lugh Lavada was responsible for the King's death. In doing so, it would help clear the Milletians of suspicion. The plan seemed workable, until…

Nielis grit her teeth, ignoring the rain that hit her like tiny blades. She squeezed her horse Aerueh's ribs to urge him on; the rain was causing him to flag his pace, but speed was needed. Nielis shook her head to try and clear the horrifying memory of Betty's dying moments. Upon her return from Emain Macha, she found the Maid dying and Eirawen nowhere to be found. The villagers of Dunbarton had seen it clear as day; the Princess fleeing with her bodyguard back towards Emain Macha, with three black robed figures in pursuit. Her stomach churned at the sight of Callow's body on the dirt path, a pair of arrows sticking out of his chest.

Nielis narrowed her eyes; the arrows were too close together to have been shot from a full gallop, unless… _Elves_… She pushed Aerueh faster, and readied her Cylinder. Her heart nearly stopped when she heard the death cry of a horse just up ahead. _Eirawen_!

The princess' horse lay dead on its side, the princess herself either unconscious or too scared to move. Two of the pursuers had dismounted, their Scimitars drawn. The last knocked two arrows and took aim for the downed Princess. His arrows struck living stone and broke into splinters.

A golem rose from the ground in front of the assassins, protecting the Princess from their attacks. It was composed of the whitest stone, with scrubby grass and small flowers growing on it. It let out a mouthless roar and brought its stony fists down on the closer assassin, crushing it into the dirt. The golem wildly swung its fist, knocking the assassin's companion off the cliff and into the forests far below. The remaining mounted assassin screamed in terror and checked his horse around, preparing to make a mad dash for Emain Macha. Instead, he turned just in time to see Nielis' wicked Dragon Sword pierce his chest. He gaped soundlessly for a few moments as he fell to the ground. The three horses neighed in terror and bolted for the four winds, and the Golem crumbled back into dust. Nielis quickly dismounted and ran to Eirawen's side.

Nielis dropped to her knees and cradled the princess in her arms. She was alive, and not apparently wounded. She shook the princess gently, and Eirawen's eyes fluttered open. She got to her feet unsteadily, and looked Nielis directly in the eyes.

"Callow and Betty… they… they died to protect me," Eirawen whimpered. The change was absolute; the Princess' fiery spirit had been snuffed out. Her eyes became wide and pleading. "Was – was it my fault?"

"No Eirawen, of course not. Don't think that for even a moment!" Nielis urged her.

Eirawen's eyes watered, she didn't seem to have listened to Nielis' reply. She stood silently in the rain, weeping softly. She was trying to keep up a strong exterior – Nielis could see the grief that Eirawen wasn't letting out. Nielis pulled Eirawen into her arms, the princess offered no resistance. As if that was the cue she was waiting for, Eirawen buried her face into Nielis' chest and began to cry freely. Eirawen's hot tears soaked Nielis' already wet robes, but Nielis did nothing to stop the grieving princess' tears.

She grit her teeth, hatred for Lugh Lavada consuming her. The so-called "knight of light" that had conspired to murder the king and then driven Eirawen to cry so freely. She wouldn't let him get away with what he had done.

Nielis hugged Eirawen tighter. "Eirawen, I'll protect you, I promise. I'm here for you," she whispered into Eirawen's ear.

She kissed the top of Eirawen's head lightly, and a shudder shot through the princess. Her crying eased a little, and she looked up at Nielis. "Thank you, Nielis," she whimpered. The address came as a surprise; it was the first time Eirawen had actually referred to Nielis by name.

Nielis dipped her head until her forehead met Eirawen's. "Lugh Lavada won't get away with this. I promise you, justice will catch up with him," Nielis said.

The next morning saw Nielis and Eirawen together on Belvast island, Nielis guiding the Princess towards Admiral Owen. The man was just and fair; if anyone would protect Eirawen, it would be him. The Princess' hand clung to Nielis' so tightly that he nails dug into Nielis' skin.

That was the turning point in their relationship. From that moment on, Eirawen softened up considerably to Nielis, fretting over her well-being and ever being the first to greet her when Nielis returned from a mission – her eyes often betraying the Princess' anxiousness to see Nielis. Over the ensuring weeks, Nielis gathered up military support from across Tara, Tailltean and Belvast, giving Eirawen the army she would need to take her deserved spot on the throne.

The culmination of all that preparation saw the allied army arrayed in the streets of Tara. Nielis shivered at the sight of the castle; under Lugh Lavada's ownership it looked just as dark as the castle in the Shadow Realm. Behind her stood the assembled armies and its commanders; Admiral Owen, his brother Odran, Padan of Tara, Andras of Tailltean, and Sinead of the Royal Alchemists.

At her sides stood a few of her close friends that had agreed to aid in bring down Lugh Lavada. Rina, her red hair shininig boldy in the sun, tested the weight of her War Sword without an apparent care in the world. Nielis was struck by nostalgia at the sight of that sword; it had been a gift from Nielis to Rina. Nielis smiled at the sword, it looked just as good as new. Rina had taken care of her gift.

"Not worried at all?" Nielis asked.

"No of course not," Rina replied airily. "We're fighting in the name of revenge on this false Knight, right? That means Morrighan is with us!"

Nielis gave a slight chuckle; Rina, ever faithful in Morrighan. A mutual friend of their, Seriyan, crept up behind Rina and threw her arms around her. "As long as I'm here to watch her back, we're ok even without Morrighan" she said.

Behind Rina and Seriyan stood two more elves. One of them, Aclyon, was readying her bow. The other, Senny, looked a little nervous. She was the youngest and least experienced of the group. Next to the pair of elves stood another red-headed woman, wearing a Hebona robe. Attikus (evidently her parents liked the idea of gender bending names) had her arms folded confidently.

To Nielis' other side stood Shakespeare, his strange feather sword steady in his hands. Nielis never understood Shakespeare, and probably never would, but she was grateful to have him at her side; the bard had more experience in combat than the rest of them put together – and then doubled over again.

Nielis glanced over the assembled group once more, and very nearly gave Owen the go-ahead to attack, when she caught sight of something that nearly stopped her heart. Eirawen, a wand gripped in her small hands, walking out from between Sinead and Padan.

"Eirawen, what are you doing out on the battlefield!" Nielis fretted.

Eirawen scoffed. "Taking my kingdom back, of course," she replied.

"It's going to be a dangerous fight, are you sure about this?" Nielis asked.

"I'm not helpless; I know how to use magic," Eirawen said, brandishing her wand for emphasis.

Nielis knelt down and frame Eirawen's face with her hands. "I couldn't stand the thought of losing you to Lavada's ghouls," she whispered.

"Then do your job," Eirawen said as she knelt forward and kissed Nielis' forehead. "Remember?" she urged, her eye bright.

It had happened earlier during their partnership; when Nielis was returning from a meeting with the witch Scathach, another personal request of Owen's. She had said that Shakespeare was busily gathering materials under direction from Cichol. What was he doing? It didn't matter…

Nielis went to meet with Owen, to tell him of what Scathach had said. The admiral wasn't alone, however; Eirawen was with him. The princess ran over to Nielis and glared up at her, her eyes red and puffy. Nielis understood it; Eirawen had been worried over her long absence while meeting with Scathach.

The trio had a short discussion to decide their next move to deal with Lugh Lavada. It was decided that Nielis was to return to Tara, to investigate Lugh's actions since taking the throne and to gather the support of Tara's nobility. When she returned to leave, however, Eirawen caught her by the sleeve.

Nielis looked down at the princess. Her cheeks were slightly red, and she was nervously looking towards the floor.

"I wanted to thank you," she whispered. "You've done so much for me, after the way I treated you at first…"

Nielis shook her head and smiled back down at Eirawen. "It's ok, Eirawen. You've been through a lot the past few days,"

"There's something I want to do for you before you go off again," The princess said. She looked back up at Nielis, her eyes urgent. "Please kneel," she requested softly.

Curiosity building inside of her, Nielis got down on her knees in front of Eirawen. She gasped when the little princess leaned forward an kissed her on the forehead.

Eirawen stepped backwards, now fully blushing. "Go now with the blessings of Aliech," she said in a wavering voice.

A little stunned, Nielis stood back up, but she looked down at the princess with wide eyes.

Eirawen was fully aware of the staring, and avoided Nielis' gaze. "I-I it's just the Aliech knighting ceremony! I decided; you're one of my knights now, that's all!" She glanced over at Nielis, her eyes red and watery. "Don't go getting any strange ideas!"

Nielis smiled and touched Eirawen on the shoulder to calm her. Eirawen cried out and wrapped her little arms around Nielis' waist. "I know you're a Milletian, but still; I want you to come back in one piece, ok? Be careful!" she cried urgently.

"I will, I promise," Nielis replied. "I'll be by your side again soon enough, I promise."

The murmuring of the soldiers brought Nielis out of her memories.

"I have your promise, so you just have to keep it!" Eirawen said stubbornly. "If you do your duty, I'll be fine!"

Nielis nodded and smiled down at Eirawen. "Right, I'll protect you. I promise," she said. She knelt down and pulled Eirawen into her arms, and the princess wrapped hers around Nielis more strongly than her small size would seem capable of.

What followed was one of the most decisive battles since the second war with the Fomors. Lugh Lavada's undead servants were many and relentless, and even with so many allies fighting at her side, Nielis was still surprised that she lived to see Lugh Lavada's final breaths. The "Knight of Light" was a worthy foe, and seemed unstoppable. Nielis could hardly believe it when he finally collapsed to the ground and moved no more.

Shakespeare didn't stay to share in the high spirits that followed, but Nielis and her friends celebrated the Knight's downfall. Attikus folded her arms confidently and remarked that it was a job well done, Aclyon breathed a sigh of relief and shared some of her famed cooking, Rina and Seriyan shared a deep kiss in full view of everyone.

The next few days were a flurry of activity that left Nielis busy. The dead had to be buried, the damage repaired, and the undead removed from the castle grounds. In all the activity, Shakespeare left Erinn for his own world, and Morrighan returned to the heavens, but Nielis had scarcely seen Eirawen. The princess was busy preparing for her coronation. In the lack of contact, Nielis began to wonder if Eirawen had forgotten her, and the notion made her heart ache. Then, on the very morning of the day that Eirawen would become Queen, Nielis received an Owl from her.

Eirawen was alone in the throne room when Nielis replied, staring at a picture of her father, deep in thought. When she heard the door open, Eirawen gasped and leaped with joy to see Nielis approaching. Nielis had to stop herself from giggling; it was good to see Eirawen having a chance to behave like a normal little girl. Eirawen dashed forward and leaped into Nielis' arms. Nielis hugged Eirawen tight and kissed the top of her head.

"I've missed you, princess," she whispered.

"I'm sorry I've been out of touch – there's just been so much to do," Eirawen replied. "I've missed you too, though."

Nielis set Eirawen back down on her feet and smiled down at her. Eirawen, however, looked nervous. "What're you going to do now? Things are finally calming down in Tara," Eirawen asked.

"What do you mean, Princess?" Nielis asked.

"You – you're going to go away now, aren't you? Off on another adventure?" Eirawen asked hesitantly, her eyes watering.

Nielis smiled and knelt down in front of the princess. "Of course not, I promised, remember? My place is here, by your side."

Eirawen's eyes widened. "Really? You're going to stay?"

Nielis nodded. "I'll be by your side forever, Eirawen," she whispered.

Eirawen gave a cry of joy and again leaped to hug Nielis. This time, to Nielis' surprise, Eirawen kissed her. Not on the forehead, but on the lips. Nielis felt her heart miss a bit and her eyes widened. When Eirawen pulled away, but girls nervously touched their lips with their fingers. Eirawen's lips had tasted lovely to Nielis – the memory of it still made her heartbeat at a fevered pitch.

"Forever," Eirawen said gratefully.

"I'll be here with you, my Eirawen," Nielis replied.

"Nielis, I think I love you!" Eirawen cried urgently, her cheeks beet red.

Nielis laughed softly and kissed Eirawen again. "And I, you."


End file.
